Do I want to be apart of a union that sets rules and regulations to favour a chosen few? Do I want to be apart of a union that turns its back on outside buyers when they’re prepared to pay fishermen $3.50 US a pound for cod? Do I want to be part of a union that used our own dues to fight our fellow scallop fisherman in court — and lost — then only to waste more of our money to appeal? The answer is no. I’m Boyd Lavers, a fish harvester from Port Saunders, and I’m behind FISH-NL.

Friday, Dec. 15, 2016 – The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) launched an advertising campaign this week, featuring six fish harvesters from around the province with personal messages to their current union, the FFAW. “For some unknown reason, the FFAW won’t acknowledge the fact that its membership is in full-fledged revolt,” says Ryan Cleary, president of FISH-NL. “The FFAW fiddles as its membership burns its union cards.” Leading up to Christmas Eve, dozens of 30-second radio advertisements will play on the VOCM network throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. The advertisements were recorded by harvesters over the telephone from the outports where they live. Funds for the advertising campaign were raised through a Crowd Funding campaign on the Internet. FISH-NL set a goal of $16,000, money raised through donations in five days. For more information, contact Ron Woodman 697-6026 10:37

Many of the problems in the province’s fishery can be traced back to the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW-Unifor) union, the Garnish fish harvester surmises. She hopes that change will come in the form of the Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL). The Ryan Cleary-led group currently leading a charge to breakaway from FFAW-Unifor and form a new union that solely represents fish harvesters in the province has her full support, she said. FFAW-Unifor represents fish harvesters and fish plant workers. “This is a union for the fishermen, by the fishermen,” she said of FISH-NL. “This is something I believes in, and I’ve got my time and effort put into this a hundred per cent – a hundred per cent. We needs someone who is going to stand up and who is going to get the fishermen their fair share of quota.” Read the story here 14:49

I gave the following speech on Oct. 27th at the Albatros Hotel in Gander to start the founding convention of the Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL). Salt and pepper refers to the hair colour of most harvesters, who are middle aged or older. Ryan Cleary – Good morning, Welcome to the founding convention of the Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador — or FISH-NL. I ran into a fine crowd in the hotel this morning from Francois on the south coast. They came a long way to get here — a three-hour boat trip, and then a six-hour drive. One of the men in the group told me, “We’d better make this worth his while.” We’ll do our best, you can be assured of that. B’y, I don’t know about you, but I think the name FISH-NL has a real ring to it. Fish is why we’re here, fish will keep us here.Read the rest here 11:02:26

Now is the time to finish what we started last year, which was to get rid of the FFAW. The Fish, Food and Allied Workers union has neglected us, taken advantage of us and turned fisherfolk against one another. It shouldn’t be like that. We can do better than that, and now we will. We have acquired Ryan Cleary to head up our new union, which will be named the Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL). This new union will look after the best interests of Newfoundland and Labrador fishermen and women — and only them. It will have a constitution drawn up to protect fisher folk from the kind of things we had to put up with from the FFAW. Read the rest here 09:06

As the FFAW (Fish, Food and Allied Workers) union faces an exodus of members, staff representative Jason Spingle said the union is taking the issue very seriously. FISH-NL, the Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador — an effort of former MP Ryan Cleary and fishermen Jason Sullivan and Richard Gillett — held meetings in Corner Brook and Clarenville this week to gauge and drum up support for the new union. Spingle, who works out of the FFAW’s Corner Brook office representing members from the west coast, Northern Peninsula and Labrador, said he’s seen the coverage of the meetings and recognized a lot of the faces of those who are supporting FISH-NL. With around 2,000 members in the region though, Spingle said there were a lot of people who were not at the meetings. Read the story here 17:22

Things got a little heated outside the Fish, Food and Allied Workers office in Corner Brook when some 250 harvesters from around the west coast marched there to show the union they are fed up with the representation they’ve been getting. The group had been attending a meeting on the formation of a new union at the Legion when Conway Caines of Cow Head, a regular on the Discovery Channel’s “Cold Water Cowboys,” suggested they hold a peaceful walk to the union’s office. Ryan Cleary, former MP and one of the men behind the formation of FISH-NL (the Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador), went with them. Cleary said FFAW president Keith Sullivan made a remark to the CBC that the group interested in forming the new union was a vocal minority. Read the story here 17:37

NILS STOLPE: The New England groundfish debacle (Part IV): Is cutting back harvest really the answer?

While it’s a fact that’s hardly ever acknowledged, the assumption in fisheries management is that if the population of a stock of fish isn’t at some arbitrary level, it’s because of too much fishing. Hence the term “overfished.” Hence the mandated knee jerk reaction of the fisheries managers to not enough fish; cut back on fishing. What of other factors? They don’t count. It’s all about fishing, because fishing is all that the managers can control; it’s their Maslow’s Hammer. When it comes to the oceans it seems as if it’s about all that the industry connected mega-foundations that support the anti-fishing ENGOs with hundreds of millions of dollars a year in “donations” are interested in controlling. Read the article here